Hike North Idaho

Chimney Rock Trail

29 May , 2016

What better way to spend Memorial Day weekend than climbing to the Selkirk crest near Chimney Rock? If you haven’t done this hike you owe it to yourself to put it on the calendar. It is a relatively easy 10 mile round-trip hike with about 2,700’ of vertical gain. It starts easy and crosses bridges, creeks, and takes you scampering over boulders. The views get increasingly better the higher you hike.

We set out after church on Sunday – a late start. Landon Otis, Ken and Kelly Emerson, and Don Otis and Cathy Schuller made our way up the old logging road that winds its way around for the first two miles until it reaches the drainage that turns west toward Chimney Rock. We had two tricky creek crossings that required we get our feet a bit wet. We hit the first snow about 5,500’ and by the time we reached the crest at about 6,500’ there was plenty to kick steps in the last few hundred feet.

Give yourself a good six hours at a reasonable pace for the hike. If you decide to go off trail and head south to gain the summit of Mt. Roothaan, plan on another 90 minutes to two hours up and back.